Next Week, AT&T Will Launch New Service To Block Stolen iPhones & iPads

Well, here’s a good idea that’s been a long time coming: AT&T is about to launch a new service that will make it easy for you to report and block your iPhone or iPad’s service if it has been stolen.

The Verge reports:

The company sent a message (pictured below) to customer service representatives on Wednesday advising them of the change. According to the guidance, AT&T will compile a “blocklist” of stolen devices and service will be automatically suspended “if any attempt is made to use a device that is stored in the blocklist.” The only way to add a device to the list will be by contacting a customer service representative directly, and users with remote data wipe apps will be required to activate them before suspending their device, to “prevent access to their personal information.”

This is a great idea. Find My iPhone and Find My Mac are great services, but this is a fantastic backup that should make any stolen iPhone or iPad on AT&T’s network thoroughly locked down: not just the device itself, but your data plan too.

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Something tells me on the tablets it will only work if you are doing post paid. which means that would be almost useless.

LondonFriar

America is SO FAR BEHIND Europe. We’ve had this ability to basically “brick” the phone remotely if it’s reported stolen. Every phone has a unique id number. once a phone is reported stolen, ALL CARRIERS MUST refuse to allow that phone to access their networks. Phone theft? What phone theft? It’s worthless to steal. America tried to do this, but the phone manufacturers realized that would eat into their new phone sales and blocked it in DC. Bloody twats…